LGBT Atlanta Best Bets for May 13 – 26

Florence + the Machine, Jane’s Addiction, Huey Lewis and the News and many more musical acts comprise the Shaky Knees Festival, Centennial Olympic Park and International Plaza, www.shakykneesfestival.com

OutlantaCon is an Atlanta-based event for the queer geek audience. You’ll find all the usual convention fare here — discussion panels, gaming, costuming, special events — but the difference is that it all has a queer “bent” to it, Marriott Century Center, www.outlantacon.org

Join Charis and ZAMI NOBLA in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the black lesbian classic, “The Gilda Stories,” out now in an expanded 25th anniversary edition. “The Gilda Stories” begins in 1850s Louisiana, where Gilda escapes slavery and learns about freedom while working in a brothel. After being initiated into eternal life, Gilda spends the next 200 years searching for a place to call home. Author Jewelle Gomez will be present to talk about the work’s continuing significance. Suggested donation of $5. 7:30 – 9 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com

A-ten-hut soldier—it’s time to strap on your gear/military best and get ready for The ManShaft – Military Gear Edition. DJ Neon the Glowgobear will kick off the evening at 9 p.m. and then DJ Diablo Rojo will take over at 11:30 p.m. with disco, electro and remixes and vintage men’s films. Cover is $5 and money raised will support The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Heretic Atlanta, www.hereticatlanta.com

Sunday, May 15

The PFLAG support group for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people and their parents and family meets from 2:30 – 4 p.m. at the Spiritual Living Center of Atlanta, 1730 Northeast Expressway NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, www.pflagatlanta.org

Come with The Atlanta Opera as they venture to Verona, and meet Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers “Romeo and Juliet,” whose deaths ultimately reconcile feuding families. Not seen on the Atlanta Opera stage since 2007, Charles Gounod’s opera in five acts, sung in French, reexamines the story through a decidedly French romantic lens, closing today with a 3 p.m. performance, www.cobbenergycentre.com

Join Charis Books for “Read with the Rabbi: Struggling in Good Faith: LGBTQI Inclusion from 13 American Religious Perspectives,” by Rabbi Mychal Copeland. The event will feature a discussion lead by Rabbi Malka Packer of InterfaithFamily Atlanta. 3 – 4 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com

My Sister’s Room hosts “So You Think You Can Sing – the Finale,” a fundraiser for the Atlanta Women’s Chorus and the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, 8 p.m., www.facebook.com/events/1707120792894224

RuPaul’s Drag Race: Battle of The Seasons “Extravaganza” world tour features a night of show-stopping performances by the world’s most talented drag performers, including winners and fan favorites from Logo TV’s hit series “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” hosted by series judge Michelle Visage. 9 p.m., The Buckhead Theatre, www.thebuckheadtheatre.com

Monday, May 16

Trans and Friends is a youth-focused group for trans people, people questioning their own gender, and aspiring allies. Charis provides a facilitated space to discuss gender, relevant resources and activism around social issues. This is a project of the Feminist Outlawz and is co-sponsored by Charis Circle’s Strong Families, Whole Children, 7 – 8:30 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com

Tuesday, May 17

Art It Out Therapy Center is now offering an Expressive Art Therapy Group for LGBTQ Teens on Tuesdays. Through art, the group will explore self-identity, coping with stress, intimate and parental relationships, and coming out. 7 p.m., 255 Village Parkway (in Paper Mill Village), Suite 580, Marietta, GA 30067

SAGE Atlanta hosts a social hour at 10 a.m., followed by a program/meeting at 11 a.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.org

Directors Heather Provoncha and Leo Hollen present an encore of their Atlanta-specific “Queer Moxie,” which sold out its Out On Film debut last year, tonight, with special performances and more at 6 p.m. and the film and Q&A at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $11 in advance and $15 the day of, Midtown Art Cinema, www.landmarktheatres.com

The Health Initiative, InterfaithFamily/Atlanta, and Positive Impact Health Centers present “What if the God of My Understanding Hates Me?,” an interfaith discussion on how a crisis of faith can drive LGBTQ people to substance abuse. Leading experts on addiction agree that faith and spirituality can be integral to a person’s success. However, what if one’s faith has been the source of their feeling of alienation and/or motivation for substance abuse? Hear from those in recovery and join in group discussions on this and other issues in a supportive, inclusive environment. 7- 9 p.m., Phillip Rush Center Annex, www.rushcenteratl.org

The acclaimed, gay-themed “Viva” – shortlisted for the Best Foreign Language film at this year’s Academy Awards – opens at the Midtown Art Cinema today, with various showtimes, www.landmarktheatres.com

Charis presents readings from “Lez Talk.” A necessary and relevant addition to the black LGBTQ literary canon, “Lez Talk” is a collection of short stories that embrace the fullness of black lesbian experiences. At once provocative, emotional, adventurous and celebratory, “Lez Talk” crosses a range of fictional genres, including romance, speculative and humor. The writers explore new subjects and aspects of their experiences and affirm their gifts as writers and lesbian women. Beginning with Sheree L. Greer’s “I Can’t Turn It Off, a short tale imbued with socio-political undercurrents, the collections also includes work from Claudia Moss, LaToya Cherelle, K.A. Smith, S. Andrea Allen, Faith Mosley, and Eternity Philops. 7:30 – 9 p.m., www.charisbooksandmore.com

Art Meso is an International Art and Fashion Exhibition sought after for its unique collision of high fashion runway productions and revolutionary human art exhibitions. These two elements are fused together to create an unforgettable experience. This fashion experience will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 7 p.m., W Atlanta – Downtown, www.facebook.com/events/1701693606775131

Politics, sex, religion, loss, and beauty – all of the topics that you can’t talk about over dinner but can at a museum – are open for discussion in “Art AIDS America,” an exhibition that reveals for the first time how the AIDS crisis forever changed American art. Its stop at Kennesaw State University’s Zuckerman Museum of Art is the only Southern stop on its national tour, through today. zuckerman.kennesaw.edu.

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